Sins Of The Starless
by Nutellafang
Summary: Seven years after the events of The Last Hope, five kittens are born in ShadowClan. Something seems slightly off about the litter, even from the start. But when the medicine cat reveals a prophecy that could mean the end of the Clans as they know it, everything changed. [Rated T for violence and language - it's no worse than the original books.]
1. Allegiances

**SHADOWCLAN:**

**Leader:** _Tornstar-_ big, long-haired black tom

**Deputy:** _Stoatcry-_ muscular black and brown tom

**Medicine Cat:** _Tansystep-_ small, golden tabby she-cat

**Warriors:** _Fogstripe-_ thick-set grey and white tom

_Flailjaw-_ dark grey tom with loose jaw

_Addersong-_ big grey and brown she-cat

_Hatchstripe-_ scarred silver tabby tom

_Crookedstep-_ pale tabby tom with twisted foot

_Blizzardtuft-_ fluffy white tom

_Willowfrost-_ light brown she-cat

_Maggotspots-_ grey tom with white dapples

_Patchrunner-_ swift black and white tom

_Cavewhisker-_ grey tom

_Clawbelly-_ brown tom with scarred belly

_Newtdapple-_ dark spotted tabby she-cat

_Poppyburr-_ mottled brown she-cat

_Nightbird-_ jet black she-cat

_Bouncetail-_ golden tom with black specks

_Shadepool-_ smoky grey she-cat

_Timberstrike-_ brown tabby tom

_Redtree-_ dark ginger tom

**Apprentices:** _Wolfpaw-_ grey tabby tom

_Wrenpaw-_ light brown tabby she-cat

_Tanglepaw-_ dark brown she-cat

_Shypaw-_ silvery white she-cat

**Queens:** _Russetcloud-_ ginger and white she-cat

Kits- _Blackkit, Wildkit, Badgerkit, Ripplekit, Ravenkit_

_Cloudedmoon-_ small grey and white she-cat

Kits- _Dewkit_

_Cherryblossom-_ dark ginger she-cat with white underbelly

_Dapplefern-_ pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with blind eye

Kits- _Skykit, Coldkit, Stormkit_

**Elders:** _Spiketooth-_ dark brown tom

_Grasspelt-_ pale brown tabby she-cat

**THUNDERCLAN:**

**Leader:** _Copperstar-_ dark ginger and white tom

**Deputy:** _Firebright- _reddish brown and black spotted she-cat

**Medicine Cat:** _Cherrymask- _creamy brown she-cat

Apprentice; _Spottedpaw-_ golden dappled she-cat

**Warriors:** _Runningbrook-_ pale brown tabby tom

_Brokenbranch-_ scarred dark brown she-cat

_Ratblaze-_ dark brown tom with missing fang

_Twigfall-_ small brown tabby tom

_Spotteddawn-_ dark tortoiseshell she-cat

_Snakemuzzle-_ smoky tom with long muzzle

_Brightmoon-_ bright ginger and gold she-cat

_Shellspring-_ blue-grey and white she-cat

_Slatefrost-_ sleek black and white tom

_Sloeblaze- _pale brown and white she-cat

_Duskshadow- _black and white tabby she-cat

_Oakleaves-_ mottled brown tom

_Leopardroar-_ leopard-spotted grey she-cat

_Jaggedscar-_ scarred tabby tom

**Queens:** _Silverpetal-_ gorgeous silver tabby she-cat

_Whisperingrain-_ beautiful blue-grey she-cat

**Elders:** _Wetgorse-_ brown tom with matted pelt

**RIVERCLAN:**

**Leader:** _Fernstar-_ silver and grey she-cat

**Deputy:** _Hailnose-_ black and silver she-cat

**Medicine Cat:** _Swallowfoot-_ dark brown tabby she-cat with white paws

**Warriors:** _Troutface-_ brown tabby tom

_Swifthare-_ swift black and white tom

_Slightdusk-_ dusky grey and brown she-cat

_Sneezefeather-_ pale grey and white she-cat

_Shininghorse-_ muscular brown and white tom

_Otterfin-_ sleek brown tom

_Snowpeak-_ brown tabby and white tom

_Sweetflight-_ pinkish ginger she-cat

_Mossleap-_ dark tortoiseshell she-cat

_Morningfish-_ golden ginger and white she-cat

**Queens:** _Oliveflower-_ thin black she-cat

_Lowstream-_ pretty black and white she-cat

**Elders:** _Yellowcreek-_ ancient pale golden tom

**WINDCLAN:**

**Leader:** _Whitestar-_ white tom with black specks

**Deputy:** _Waspberry-_ patchy black tom

**Medicine Cat:** _Sedgebreeze-_ mottled black and white she-cat

**Warriors:** _Weaseldust-_ dusky brown tom

_Twistedthroat-_ dark tom with whistling voice

_Brackenwhisker-_ golden brown tabby tom

_Maplesky-_ patchy tortoiseshell she-cat

_Loudflame-_ big ginger she-cat

_Mousespots-_ spotted brown she-cat

_Licheneyes-_ white she-cat with dark green eyes

_Shadowwing-_ black and silver she-cat

_Sparrowflight-_ mottled light brown she-cat

**Queens:** _Spiderheart-_ black and tortoiseshell she-cat

**Elders:** _Stumpyear-_ virtually deaf grey tom


	2. Prologue

**Prologue: Never Alone  
**

In the deep darkness of a pine forest, two tomcats crouched, facing each other. Their amber gazes locked, the grey and black, smaller tabby stared into the large, scarred, dark brown tabby's. Finally, in the dead of the starless night, the smaller cat meowed, **"I've a plan."**  
**"Go on,"** the larger tom replied in a quieter, deeper voice. At this, the smaller cat flinched, and sat up, and the other stood.  
**"W-Well, I've recently recalled a story the elders told me from my kithood. About the cat who fell from StarClan, into a kit's body?"** the grey cat mewed, obviously intimidated by his shadowed partner.  
**"Yes, what about it? Is your plan really just about an old queen's tale?"** he growled, his tail tip flicking as he stood.  
**"No! No, no. There's facts to it. I just thought that..."** Then he leaned in to tell his comrade the plan, keeping all secretive, but clear and specific. Only StarClan would ever know what their plans were, if they were alive.

On a starless night, 7 season-cycles later, a ginger and white she-cat appeared in the same spot, in the same dim-lit forested area. In an eerie light, these lands reminded the cat of her homelands. In a strong and confident voice, despite her hidden terror of the unknown, she called out, **"Hello? Anybody out there?"**  
Suddenly, the mottled cat's nostrils flared. A whiff of an unfriendly and unfamiliar scent passed by her sensitive, soft pink nose, and immediately a dark, feline silhouette materialized behind her. **"Welcome, Russetcloud! I've heard so much about you."**  
**"Who in StarClan's name are you, you fox pile?"** she snarled in reply, whipping around to face him. ...But he was gone.  
She glanced back to where she started looking, and was startled to find a grey tabby's demented grin. His pale golden gaze glowed in a light unlike she'd ever known. **"Ahh, I knew you'd be perfect!"** he purred, slinking around her with his eyes locked on her body. It was strong, muscular, yet still elegant enough to be beautiful. No wonder the ginger and white she-cat had a mate already.  
The cat's silver eyes went from blazing with an anger built out of concealing her fear, to pure confusion at the situation. **"Um... perfect for what, exactly? And you never answered my question- who the hell are you?"**  
**"You'll find out soon enough,"** the tom replied, before pouncing onto the she-cat with claws unsheathed.  
Under his strong grip, the ShadowClan cat quickly recognized the famous ThunderClan criminal, but not until she was on the verge of fainting. The painful sensation she felt was too overwhelming. Claws in her haunches and shoulders, teeth gripping her scruff and tearing into an ear pinned to her head... Soon unconsciousness possessed the young warrior, and she did not wake for a long time.


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Someone Familar**

It was a rainy evening in early spring, 3 weeks afterwards. ShadowClan camp was prospering. What was lost in snows and cold during leaf-bare, we got back in wet, slushy downpour. There was dew laden upon the ground outside the nursery as five squealing kittens rolled about their mother's belly, their hungry mouths seeking the liquid food they desired to survive.  
Upon the sight of them, their mother immediately knew something was terribly, horribly wrong with them.  
They had a certain dark film over their fur that contrasted with the sinking sun, and it wasn't their birth-sacs clinging to their pelts like was common with litters. Neither the mother nor the other queens recognized what was wrong with them. The medicine cat had hardly a clue, but even so, she lent comfort to her patient nonetheless. Whatever it was, she was positive it would be alright. _It'll be gone by dawn,_ she reassured herself.  
**"What will you name them?"** came a ghastly voice in the dead of the night. The she-cat shivered terribly, the cold voice creeping into her ears like shadows into her den. The five mewling kittens squirmed below her, and she gulped as she gazed upon them.  
This voice was familiar to her. She felt the piercing gaze of her ex-mate, a cat many knew all too well. His amber eyes were cold as he crept behind her, unseen by all but she.  
**"I-I don't know..."** she stammered in a whisper, aware of the queens around her. It was midnight in the nursery, and the last place she could be loud and disruptive.  
**"Then I'll decide for you,"** the spirit hissed into her tattered ear, a breeze taking a black, hulking shape in front of the she-cat, though nearly transparent. He stared down at the litter with an unseen sneer, as if scorning his own kin for even existing.  
**"The ebony tom will be Blackkit. The black and white she-kit is Badgerkit. The dark tabby she-kit will be Ravenkit. Kill the rest."**  
The ginger she-cat nodded at the three names, but hissed loudly at him at the last three words, swatting at where she thought his spirit was. She viciously spat the words, **"You can take away my innocence, you can kill my old mate, and you can steal away my brother, but if you lay a claw on my kits, you'll-"**  
**"Russetcloud, let's go outside."**  
Russetcloud looked behind her red-tinged shoulder, licking it in embarrassment. Not heeding her self-warnings about being quiet, she made a fool of herself in front of her sister and her fellow queens. She sighed and looked up to the medicine cat who called her name, and followed closely behind. She looked back at her beloved litter, and sighed in relief when she noticed that Cloudedmoon took in the kits. It was comforting to know the queen would suckle another's kits so soon after losing her own.  
**"Sister...! Ever since you became pregnant, you've become delusional, I swear to StarClan. You have these nightmares that must drive you insane, for you call out a cat's name over and over in your dreams, pleading it to stop. Now you're lashing out at still air, like there's voices. What is the matter, dear?"** the she-cat inquired, sincere concern and love in the medicine cat's amber gaze.  
**"I can't say,"** the queen murmured, her words barely a breath.  
**"Please, I can't help you if you don't tell me..."**  
**"Then don't! I've been alone all this time, Tansystep, and now it's too late for you to start helping me!"** At that, the patched cat walked off, with a strong sway in her step, a storm brewing deep within.  
The medicine cat sighed deeply, hardly knowing what to think. Russetcloud had always been an independent cat, and it pained her deeply to know she was powerless now.

Tansystep padded out of the nursery and into the Medicine Cat's den, when images flashed in front of her amber eyes. She collapsed into her nest deeper in the den, and lapped some water from the puddle within the cave, suddenly having a headache. Her head was pounding, and voices she never heard whispered to her, though she hardly heard them, let alone understood their messages.  
Then the pain stopped, and she padded outside, gazing up at the stars. Her paws led her out to that exact spot without warning or thought, as if this was a habit of hers, an instinct from birth even. The golden tabby she-cat was drawn out to where she sat, and loud and clear within her mind, came the voice reflecting the wisdom of the stars themselves, warning her,

_**'Five have been born, with darkness in their paths. They must make a choice, or face the Starless's chaos.'**_

Tansystep gasped, falling over and suddenly feeling weak. The power that formerly toured her bloodstream was now nonexistent, and she could barely lift her head.  
**"Tansystep! I heard you gasp, are you alright?"**  
She averted her gaze up to see the thick-pelted deputy. **"Yes, I... I got a message from StarClan..."**


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: New Life, Old Tensions**

**"So... StarClan brought us a message? For the first time in many moons..."** Tornclaw asked Tansystep quietly as they sat inside the empty medicine cat's den. It had been a week since the birth of Russetcloud's kits, and since then the downpour that began that day had shown no signs of stopping now, and instead took a dark, gloomy turn for the worse. The rain still drenched all of camp, and the temporary foxskin cover over the freshkill pile had been worn down to the point of being worthless. The warriors had no choice but to wait it out in hunger.  
She nodded, gently placing a golden tail upon her white paws. **"A prophecy, to be exact."**  
The black tom perked his ears. **"A-About what?"**  
She shrugged, letting the lie flow off of her silvered tongue sweetly, **"I wouldn't know."**  
Tornclaw fell into silence as his gaze was riveted onto the outside. The storm had come so suddenly, he feared for a second that the dens may cave into the weight. Then he licked his chest to comfort himself and shoo away his childish 'what-ifs'. **"How is the herb stock? I have a bad feeling about this season."**  
Tansystep replied so cheerily it was almost conspicuous. **"We should be fine until the rain stops, don't worry. You worry about things too much,"** she added with a well-meaning jab at his muscular foreleg.  
**"I just don't want to lose anyone again, like last time..."** the deputy replied in a subdued voice, dragging his eyes down to his broad paws, and claws which dug their way into the soft earth with an uncontrollable tension.  
The golden she-cat nodded in understanding, and then stood. **"You should probably check on Rowanstar, he hasn't been looking so well since his bout of whitecough..."**  
**"Ah, and may I ask what life he-"**  
**"It's not his last, that's for sure,"** she quickly cut him off, an ominous glare in her honey-like gaze. Then she softened it. **"I'm sorry, that was a little harsh. It's his second life."**  
He nodded with a forgiving look, before stepping outside, and dashing across the clearing to get as little moisture in his pelt as possible. It was terrible to clean out mats after rainfall, he noticed.

Meanwhile, Russetcloud groomed her litter as they suckled from her since their lives began. It had gotten terribly boring since Cloudedmoon lost her litter and left the nursery, and with a birth rate lower now than ever, she was the only queen there at the time. The ginger and white cat stared at the outside, watching the rain fall boredly, when one of her kits mewled loudly. **"What's wrong, sweetie?"** she cooed, even though she knew the kit wouldn't hear her for another half moon or so yet. While she scanned her kits, looking for the problem, she noticed that all of them had stopped suckling, and while a few of them were fast asleep, the other kits had also started mewling. Then she realized she was fresh out of milk.  
Standing up, she padded cautiously to the empty nursery's entrance, and looked at the freshkill pile. Glancing left and right like she was facing the thunderpath, she sprinted across camp, swiftly flipping up the foxskin over it and looking for a safe piece of prey. She found a fattened toad, and even though it tasted terrible, it was better than nothing. After glancing all directions once more, she bolted back into the nursery, skidding her white paws into the mud that stained them brown and chilled her. Russetcloud ravenously devoured the toad in an impressive amount of time. Her kits were safe... for now.  
Full, though with a bad taste in her mouth, she lay down again and let her hungry kits feed again, and soon drifted into a light slumber to the drum of the rain outside.

The queen 'awoke' to find herself facing a shadowy figure in the Dark Forest. **"What do you want from me now, punk?"** she snarled at the cat across from her, whose amber gaze just narrowed.  
He stepped closer to fully show himself. **"How's motherhood?"** Darkstripe meowed blankly, an unusually warm light in his eyes as he stared into her own.  
**"Why should you care? If you ever wanted a loving mate out of anyone, it's too late for you now, fleabag!"** the ShadowClan queen retorted bitterly, still feeling the pain in her haunches from their last encounter.  
**"I don't know, maybe I wanted to make sure my kits are st-"**  
"YOUR kits?" Russetcloud spat, a vexed shock in her silver optics. **"How dare you make the assumption that I'll ever share those kits with you?! If they ever find out about you being the father, it'll be over my dead body!"**  
A thorn sank into Darkstripe's twisted heart. **"Don't you think I've gone through eno-"**  
**"Stop making up excuses, you sick monster of a cat!"** She turned her back on the sleek tabby, leaving no room for argument while she stormed off into the shadows. Darkstripe followed for a few fox-lengths, but soon knew it was pointless. She sat down and watched her walk away, a fresh pang of pain and regret in his soul as he pictured Tigerstar so easily taking her place. With heavy paws, he faded out of that area, and instead wandered 'round his usual spot.

_{As a side-note to all of my readers, I apologize for not updating for so long! You can expect to see chapters 3 and 4 done by this week at least, for compensation. :)_

_Also, I'll be closing OC applications soon, so time is limited if you're interested in putting in a character!}_


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Legacies**

The next morning, the heavy rains stopped and allowed slivers of pure sunlight in patches of ShadowClan territory. It was overall a great day, despite the clingy strips of cloud streaking across the sky, that just would not give up their grip on the weather. The niceness wouldn't last long... Then again, it never did, really.  
On such a pleasant day, Tornclaw decided to check on Rowanstar. He hadn't left his den since he caught whitecough a quarter moon earlier, and already the gathering was just a few sunrises away. Tansystep had been busy keeping her eyes on her sister's litter to check on him very often, and with no apprentice to assist her, the deputy was her servant for that duty. He didn't mind that much... today, it would pay off immensely, though he didn't know exactly how.  
**"Rowanstar, sir?"** the thick-furred tom inquired confidently, knocking his huge paw against the lichen covering of the leader's den.  
**"Come on in, Tornclaw,"** Rowanstar replied in a rasping whisper, barely audible.  
A pang went into Tornclaw's heart. He knew Rowanstar wouldn't last much longer... he was the oldest of the leaders now. As he pushed his way through the narrow opening of his abode, and stared at the lithe tom's husk of a body, the shell that was once a great leader. He couldn't help but pity him... his family are all either dead or elders, and his deputy passed away not too long ago due to the same sickness. He could hear the ginger tom's breath, in and out, ragged, faint, in and out, in and out.  
Tornclaw shook his heal clear of his mourning thoughts, and shoved optimism into his tone as he asked, **"How have you been feeling, sir?"**  
**"I lost my second life last night, and I'm hardly better. It turned out to be greencough."**  
**"Oh."** Tornclaw's pang was back, but it had changed. It flipped upside-down. All of a sudden, his amber eyes blurred their view and almost blinded him, flashing his memories before his eyes in such a positive light. A voice pricked the back of his mind with its revealing and convincing truths. _It's so easy,_ the voice whispered into his ears, deafening him to the leader's fainter remarks. _H-yeah, too easy,_ he replied mentally, closing his eyes to fully focus on the voice. _Exactly. No one will know. He'd be in too much shock to make any outcries, and once it's done, you're homefree! He's on his last life, you know..._  
**"No,"** the deputy murmured, to Rowanstar's confusion.  
**"What do you mean 'no'?"** he rasped in reply, staring deeply into Tornclaw's face, its eyes suddenly opened as he jolted back into reality. Then he stood, and he got closer.  
His claws slid out of their sheathes, and he replied quietly, **"I'm sorry it had to be this way."**  
The dark ginger tom's face contorted into a vicious snarl, just like the old days when he'd fight the other Clans like a TigerClan warrior. **"You wouldn't dare,"** he hissed softly, wrath in his voice despite his frail being... and a hint of fear embedded deep into his tone. All together, it almost made Tornclaw back down, and forget his wishes.  
Almost.  
Try as he might, Rowanstar couldn't make a sound any louder than his normal quiet mewls. He instantly unsheathed his claws and lashed them out, scoring a cut into Tornstar's cheek and muzzle. It went deep in the latter, but was just a scrape in the former.  
Tornstar bared his fangs and lunged out, sinking yellowed teeth into Rowanstar's shoulder, and one set of long, curved claws into the soft skin beneath his chin. Then he ripped them down, remorseless, fire in his eyes as the light in the leader's vanished.  
Once he knew he was dead, Tornclaw released his fangs from the leader, and let the lifeless corpse thump on the den floor. A hollow look overtook his eyes before he frantically glanced around the den, and spotted an emergency exit. He opened the lichen that closed it off and dragged the body through, careful not to let any more blood spill than he could help.  
He stopped at the end of the tunnel, and groomed his paws and jaws of the leader's blood, covering up the trail with earth and loose brambles, and carried the body into the river, where he cleaned the leader's scent and the remaining bits of blood from his long, matted pelt. The deputy dragged the body close to a bush in the clearing, and then thought of a cover-up story. **"What would work...?"** he thought. Then it came to him.  
He was hesitant at first, then convinced that he had to, he scratched himself and let the blood run, and then went back to camp in a run, stopping a foxlength in front of camp to start walking crookedly.  
Tornclaw stumbled into camp later, and collapsed next to the freshkill pile. Tansystep bolted to him and quickly asked what happened.  
**"Rogues... Attack... Escape... Rowanstar... dead...!"** he panted in reply, out of breath due to running against his muscles' will. Other cats heard the loud but exasperated words of the deputy and came out, some gasping at the alleged news, others just wanting to help in any way they could. Tansystep and Fogstripe carried Tornclaw into the medicine cat's den, while Cavewhisker and Bouncepaw set out to bring back Rowanstar's body.  
Cavewhisker and Bouncepaw came back into camp arguing with each other about something unrelated while they brought their leader's corpse back to camp, and once they set it down, the Clan began to mourn for the lost leader.  
And in the medicine cat's den, while Tansystep prayed for Rowanstar in StarClan, Tornclaw knew his first task had been completed. It would be a long journey to the very top, but it was too late to stop himself now. Tornclaw was ready.


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Nothing Lasts Forever**

Moons passed. Tornclaw became leader, and no one ever even got a clue about his secret treachery. They held a grudge against the rogues who did the deed instead, but they never found the culprits.  
The rain gradually stopped, but from then on it seemed grim weather reigned supreme upon ShadowClan territory. Always a threat of rain, they thought. Even the elders had their constantly pained joints. Perhaps it was StarClan trying to warn them of Tornstar, or of the kits. Perhaps it was a grudge StarClan still clung to from Sol's time- no one really knew.  
Whatever the case, it didn't bring Russetcloud and her kits down.  
Even with their tragic conception fogging her vision occasionally, Russetcloud was as upbeat a mother as she's always been while a warrior. Her kits never knew the word neglect- rather, she put the 'mother' in 'smothered'.  
As they aged, Russetcloud's kits' demeanors finally reared their heads. Wildkit definitely lived up to her name- she had the flame of aggression in her bloodstream already, and was more often than not the victor in her playfights. She was clever but stubborn and sometimes a spoiled brat, just depending on the situation. Blackkit, however, was nearly her opposite. He was the cool, laidback kit, who prefered to talk things over rather than fight to settle them. He had the curiosity and exploring nature of his mother, but the tactics and friend loyalty of Darkstripe. He also had much of his pelt. Badgerkit got the best of both parents, with the patience and smarts of Darkstripe, but the determination and endurance of Russetcloud. It was clear she would be a great warrior one day, and very balanced at that. Ripplekit... got the short stick. He's large, and brutishly strong, but not exactly the sharpest claw on the paw. He won almost every strength competition with the other kits, and even crushed one of his friend's paws on accident due to it, but he usually lost fights if his peer decided to use their developing wits. Lastly, Ravenkit was the graceful one. She had a reputation to hold up, and preferred not to get her paws dirty, but would if it helps her causes. She liked tidyness and order, and was cunning despite her cowardly habits. She's not very good at fighting, but she made a fantastic hunter, just built for stealth, patience, and speed.

One day on his fourth moon of life, Blackkit ventured out of the nursery despite her mother's best wishes. **"I just have to see outside, momma!"** he'd often say during his apologies afterwards. Little did he know how sorry he'd be today.  
**"I've got a lovely bunch of little mouse tails, yes I do! a lovely mouse tail for me, and a 'specially tail for you...!"** Blackkit hummed quietly as he bounced beside the leader's den, alone in his expeditions as always. The sky was unusually clear, he noticed. **"It must've be a good omen!"** he mewled in a happy purr, bumping his nose into the hard rock wall of the leader's den. His curiosity piqued more than his acute muzzle pain, he just patted his nose with his soft paw pads as comfort, and then sat silently at the den's entrance, eyes closed as he listened in through the closed vine cover.  
A high-pitched voice began to speak, and he almost immediately recognized it as her aunt. **"Tornclaw-"**  
**"That's Tornstar now, remember?"** a deeper and gruffer tom's voice cut her off. He wasn't quite sure who this other cat was, but he didn't like him very much for stopping Auntie.  
**"Yes, sorry, Tornstar... So, why have you called me here?"**  
**"Tansystep, I need you to get a good supply of yew for the upcoming leaf-fall."**  
**"Wha- Deathberries? S-Sir, are you insane?!"** Tansystep started to protest rather loudly, but she was quickly hushed by the tom's furry, large paw. His claws were unsheathed and they pricked the medicine cat's pelt, drawing little blood droplets.  
**"Do not question me; I have my reasons,"** he growled, so low that Blackkit had to strain his ears to understand the words.  
_This cat's mean,_ Blackkit thought, his hackles rising at the thought of the tom's actions.  
But his blood ran cold when he opened his eyes.  
Tornstar was looking right at him, hatred deep within his blood-shot amber gaze, as he spat:

**"Hey, kid, what're you doing?!"**


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Scary Monster Cat**

Blackkit's heart raced, pounding furiously against his ribs like a bird frantically attempting to escape a cat's clutches, as he stared with wide, scared eyes filled with awe at his alleged leader. Tornstar's knotted black pelt was like an abyss, fluffed to lion's mane proportions as his mangled face projected the terrifying amber blazes that were his eyes. If the horrid stench of meat and anger didn't roll off of his gargantuant, wretched body, he'd seem rather regal, even if in a dystopian sense. The snarl ripped across that face seemed to shove the kit around without even touching him, and Blackkit sidestepped his way away from Tornstar as he stomped towards him. **"You little bastard,"** he hissed in a low rasp, his yellowed fangs only kittensteps away from the cornered kit's ebony ears.  
**"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!"** Blackkit stammered out to the tyrant, cowering away from him and shuddering as he saw Tansystep's blood drip off of her muzzle from the corner of his eye.  
Tornstar just snarled quietly and scratched the kit's shoulder lightly, almost like a cuff, before retreating back into his den with Tansystep following him, tails dragging on the ground. Blackkit squealed at the pain from the cut, and he licked it clean on his way to the nursery, rushing straight to Mum.

**"MOOOOM!"** Blackkit mewled loudly as he scampered into the nursery, starting to tear up from the sting in his fuzzy shoulder. **"Mom, mom, mooom!"**  
**"What is it, honey?"** Russetcloud replied between heavy breaths, just getting back from patrol and almost about to sit down with her kits.  
**"T-To-Torn-Tohstar hit me!"** he mewled back, uncovering his bloody shoulder and revealing the scrape as well as his blood-soaked pawpad. Russetcloud gasped and picked him up by the scruff, carrying him to Tansystep's den.  
**"Tansystep, I have a new patient for you..."** But the den was empty. She glanced around and saw not a soul in any area of the medicine cat's den.  
Russetcloud's silvery eyes scanned the den thoroughly, and she took a deep breath for any of her scent. She hadn't been in her den for at least four sunrises now. **"Blackkit, did you see Tansystep anywhere before you came to me?"**  
The kit shook his little head. **"Last time I saw her, Tohstar was with her, and they were yelling at each other..."**  
The patchy queen's heart skipped a beat and then sank to her paws while she raced away from the den, leaving behind her kit without realizing it as she searched frantically for her last living sister. **"Tansystep! Tansystep! TANSYSTEP!"** she called out, her voice breaking into a squeaky yowl as worry and dread overtook her usual confidence.  
Blackkit was left in the den, confused and alone, as he felt a chill down his back at the cracking in his Momma's coolness and endurance. Something wasn't right, and Blackkit definitely didn't like it when Mom worried. He felt it was his duty to go out and look...  
Then he scented the monster.  
He glanced behind himself, and as if he was a ghost, a figment of his terrifying imagination, Tornstar sat there, his wicked mane and dangerous talons glinting with a sinister light, and those damned eyes scorched straight into his timid soul. It was as if the blue was scared right out of Blackkit's gaze, but he gathered the courage just in time to growl, **"Tohstar! Tohstar, why are you meanie?"**  
The leader stayed silent, yet his gaze narrowed, focused on the kit- it was obvious he heard his remark loud and clear. For once, Blackkit felt hatred. Not just blind horror of a malignant deity whom haunted his very existence... a loathing of him that grew stronger with the moment. He could almost feel the flames in his blood as he stared right up to Tornstar, letting the fear get taken over by a sudden rush of bravery he'd never, ever felt before for anything.  
**"Say that again,"** Tornstar ordered, staring stoically at the kitten, a laugh in his malicious optics.  
**"You heard me, Tohstar! Don' deny it! You just mad!"** Then the smoky tomkit felt the valor slowly drip out of his blood as regret quickly nestled in its shadow, and the kit went right back to scurrying away backwards and cowering to his power.  
The herculean tom gave him a cruel grin instead, and the ragged roar of laughter emerged from his trachea as a deep purr, rasping with the scars running down that damaged the artery. **"You're an amusing kit, Blackkit. I'll leave you alive... for now,"** he added with an ominous glare at the last words, stalking past him and sending shivers down Blackkit's pelt as his own brushed it.  
Soon after, the shell-shocked kit stumbled back into the nursery and straight into Russetcloud's loving paws, as she worriedly groomed her missing kit, and his siblings talked to him about his travels. But he stayed silent the whole night, and rightly so.

The next day, he felt aches in his injured shoulder, and Tansystep was in her den again after so long, just in time... however, while she treated him, he noticed the scars going along her shoulders, across her scruff, and especially around her haunches. **"Auntie Tansytip, are you hurt too?"**  
**"It's nothing, sweetie,"** the medicine cat replied in her honey-like voice. It soothed his ears, but the words reminded him of that scary monster cat he saw the day before.  
**"Tansytip, you can talk to me,"** Blackkit insisted in the most mature voice he could muster.  
"Well," she finally replied after a few moments of hesitation, **"Tornstar and I had a... ****_rough conversation_****, that's all."** While she spoke, the pressure she applied onto his shoulder as she applied the cobwebs and poultice grew to a painful amount, and Blackkit squeaked to try to tell her so, but was cut off as she broke out and explained more.  
**"Yes, a ****_VERY_**** rough conversation, about... my duties to the Clan. And ****_his_****."** Though her words about Tornstar were kind, her tone told of the toxic thoughts she truly had about the leader, with only a hint of the sweetness left compared to the bitter, sour remarks. **"He's a very nice cat, believe me... he has his own ****_unique_**** way of doing things, and some just... don't agree. They're ****_mousebrains_****, Blackkit. Don't listen to them, he's the kindest cat we'll ever know. Almost like my father..."** she trailed off, and soon she realized the squeals of pain from her patient just as she felt the blood of the reopened wound on her pawpads. **"O-Oh, my bad, honey!"**  
Blackkit just coughed out a reassurance to her, and then after he was fully treated, through a long bit of silence on her part, he was sent back to the nursery to rest. And did he need it.


End file.
